Ed: We are In Leesburg Fl., at a motel tonight planning to attend Brownwood Baptist a new church plant in the town of Lady Lake in the morning. It will be the first CBF worship service we have attended since coming to FLORIDA in October. we did attend a gathering In Jacksonville shortly after we arrived in lake City, but didn't feel compelled to drive 120 miles round trip every Sunday. From Lady Lake down to our place in Clermont would only be something like a 70 miles round trip, with out the BIG city traffic. Will give a review when I have WiFi access again.

JE Pettibone wrote:Ed: We are In Leesburg Fl., at a motel tonight planning to attend Brownwood Baptist a new church plant in the town of Lady Lake in the morning. It will be the first CBF worship service we have attended since coming to FLORIDA in October. we did attend a gathering In Jacksonville shortly after we arrived in lake City, but didn't feel compelled to drive 120 miles round trip every Sunday. From Lady Lake down to our place in Clermont would only be something like a 70 miles round trip, with out the BIG city traffic. Will give a review when I have WiFi access again.

Ed: 2/20/17 The Brownwood Baptist Church meets in the chapel of a LARGE UMC facility, just off of the business area of Lady Lake. We helped set an attendance record with 46. They are allowed no signage on the property so it was a bit intimidating to approach strangers in the parking lot to ask if they knew where the Baptists meet. However where in luck and the the first person we asked not only knew, he led us on and most of the way through the fellowship hall and pointed out the entrance to the chapel. The Brownwood Pastor greeted us warmly although he is technically on medical leave while undergoing chemo for a cancer condition. Guest speaker is a retired CBF sympathetic former SBC Pastor who's church aparently did not accept his support of CBF. The Music was provided by the Pastors wife who is an accomplished Pianist. There where 14 voices in the chior and they use the Celebrating grace hymnal. most of the members live in "The Villages" a string of modern Planned Gated Communities well known in Central Florida. In my opinion the housing is over priced by at least 30%, starting at $225,000. Of course a lot of Yankee new retires think that is a buy, many who have sold homes in the north that are 70 to 150 years old and needing repair are able to buy these and have money left over. But local long time Floridians getting ready to retire can buy retirement downsized homes new or renovate their present dwelling in their small hometowns for considerably less. Beside the housing cost almost every one in the villages has at least on car or truck and a Golf cart, if they play golf or not. And those who do play golf don't take their cart to the course unless the live immediately next to the course. they use their golf cart for shopping, visiting friends, going to church or out to eat.

I don't think we will drive that far to attend on a regular basis. If we lived within 40 miles I t would be a good church home when we are in Florida.

The past two weeks, we have attended a small store front church that is quite vibrant with a pastor who is a good preacher,and who believes his calling is to be a church planter. With the fantastic population growth in this area made up in large part to young Service workers from the nearby hotels and restaurants and a slightly older group who are support folk and entertainers at the several theme parks, with Disney at the top pf the list, he may make a go of it. that is how FBC Orlando became a Mega Church, they are affiliated with and in some part financed by the SBC. The pastor is finishing an M.Div Through The SBC Seminary at New Orleans. I think we might be in his way, but if we where going to be here full time we might give it a try. From the short conversations we have had I think he could be a CBF recruit. But still pretty big on "male authority". They are running about 30 regularly in "the season" with about 22 regular members, after year and a half.

The landscaper got started on our lot last week and says it will be finished this week, Wednesday we will be taking the coach up the road to the repair facility for a new cargo door and some paint touch up, this unit is 13 years old. Our storage shed is supposed to be delivered on the 27th. We hope to take off for California at the end of April. Some tome between now and then I have to make a trip to NY and pick up some things we have had in storahe since October.

I now have a Mobile Hot spot working so I can follow these threads more closely.